The present invention relates generally to foam. More specifically, the present invention relates to water-resistant, biodegradable foam that can be used as a packing material or as other foam articles.
Foam is used as a loose-fill packing material to ship various industrial and household products. Conventionally, loose-fill packing materials are manufactured from petroleum plastics. Expanded polystyrene foam, which is made from petroleum plastics, is the most commonly used packing material because it has desirable functionable properties such as a low density, high resiliency, and good water resistance. However, petroleum plastics take an extremely long period of time to degrade after their disposal thus creating environmental pollution.
Degradable foam has been created. However, such foam is not water-resistant, and thus, it does not remain resilient in a high moisture environment. As a result, it is not suitable for use as a packing material.
In order to overcome the disadvantages of currently available packing materials, a foam that is made from renewable resources and which is also biodegradable is provided. Still further, this foam is water-resistant and in some variations is waterproof.